The cast of Star Wars: Episode IX has been revealed. See who will be joining John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill for the final instalment.

JJ Abrams is directing the trilogy finale, and said in a statement Friday: "We desperately loved Carrie Fisher.

"Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character."

Todd Fisher, Carrie’s brother, had previously said he thought Leia would be back via archive footage, but this was shot down at the time by LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who said he was “confused”.

Leia had a big presence in Episode 8: The Last Jedi (Image: LUCASFILM)

She had several unused moments in The Force Awakens (Image: LUCASFILM)

Now, however, Todd has told The Hollwood Reporter: "If I was in anyway an inspiration for the final decision to keep Leia a part of the story, that's great.